Page 114 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2022 DISCOVERING MADRID

Return to the Sea of Cortez

Story & Photography by Maribeth Mellin

"The very air here is miraculous,
and outlines of reality change with
the moment."
John Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
he finest sunrises I've ever seen painted
the horizon over the Sea of Cortez. Many
T of my favorite ocean adventures took
place in the sea's depths. I've visited this fertile
body of water many times over the past three
decades and have barely touched its many won-
ders. I always leave wanting more.
Jacques Cousteau called the Sea of Cortez the
world's aquarium. Also known as the Gulf of Cal-
ifornia, it flows between the 775-mile-long Baja
California Peninsula and northern mainland
Mexico. Its waters are home to 39% of the
world's number of species of marine mammals
and about 900 species of fish. Resident and mi-
gratory seabirds flock to its many islands, 244 of
which are included in a UNESCO World Heritage
Site. In my many explorations I've snorkeled with
whale sharks and manta rays, fished for marlin,
dorado and tuna and spotted scores of flying
fish, dancing dolphins and spouting whales.
In the old days Gary and I traveled the Baja
peninsula in caravans of RVs, trucks and boats
headed for the fertile fishing grounds off Loreto.
On other occasions we drove our car from Ti-
juana to Los Cabos, the trunk packed with fishing
and diving gear. We'd spend weeks roaming
around mountains, deserts, islands and the sea,
visiting remote mission churches, cacti forests
and sea lion colonies. Decades later we're less
interested in long, arduous drives and dirt camp-
ing, but we miss Baja's stark beauty and capti-
vating settlements.

114 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022